visitng visa refusal

i just applied to the British High Commision in Nigeria to renew my visa and i was refused visa under section 320(7A) with no right of appeal.In my application form I answered no to a question regarding previous conviction.
i had a driving offence and was supposed to appear in court this year feb.i turned up at d court 15mins late .the sheriff said he signed the warrant already.I later appeard in court and was fined 120£.
i was refused visa because i havent paid the 120£ fine.therefore its an unspent conviction.
firstly,will like to state the
-----i forgot about the fine completely probably because my visa was running out and had to leave the country asap
----also i had no money on me as i wasnt working at that point in time.
----also while i was filling my application form i had no idea that the unpaid fine was a conviction(since it wasnt a jail sentence) plus i had intention of paying the fine whn i go to the uk visiting
----i have lived in the uk for 5yrs)
---i hav no criminal record
----hav not overstayed in the uk before
---have not broken any immigration rule
--- am currently in nigeria permanently working as a project engineer.


how do i go abt it and how do i prove it wasnt intentional.
note:the original offence was a traffic offence which was later dropped.i hav all evidence with me
pls advice asap.

I think you'll need to get a solicitor for this one. I think it will be very difficult to prove these points without the help of one.

I concur. You do need expert advice.

Sheriff? Was it in Scotland?

What did you pay a fine for, failure to submit to court bail, or something like that?

avjones wrote:Sheriff? Was it in Scotland?

What did you pay a fine for, failure to submit to court bail, or something like that?

i have not paid the fine yet.the fine is for non appearance in court.was late to the court and a warrant was issued.yes its in scotland.

If you were fined, it will be unspent for 5 years.